Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Our challenge this month at Retro Rubber Challenge Blog is a
clean and simple sketch.Come and
join us and create a card based on the sketch using your stamps that are older
than a year in need of a little inky time!

Most of my Easter images do not fall in the Retro timeline,
as they are new to my collection.So I decided to make a card for Operation Write Home in one of their
more requested categories, Love.

The images by Technique Tuesday “All You Need Is Love” have
been in my stash since about 2008.It is a versatile set that can be used for love themes or
Valentines.Here it is stamped on
black card stock in Tsukineko Versa Magic Cloud White and embossed with white
embossing powder.The flourish is
stamped on the top and bottom of the sentiment images.The card stock is 2” x 2 ¼” with
rounded corners and is backed with white card stock trimmed to 2 ¼” x 2 3/8”
with rounded corners.The love
sentiment is colored with a Zig Chalk Writer in red, which to me looks
pink.A scrap of pink card stock
is punched with the Martha Stewart Loop edge punch and trimmed to fit behind
the sentiment panel.

Black card stock is trimmed to 4” x 5 ¼” and is stamped with
the same sentiment in Tsukineko Versa Magic Cloud White.Without the white embossing powder the
images fade more into the black card stock.My ribbon stash had a crinkle style paper ribbon in
just the right tone that I added to match the sketch.To add a little sparkle and bling that won’t rub off like
glitter (not allowed at OWH) I used Little Black Dress Designs Loosie Fibers in Aurora
Borelis.Little Black Dress
Designs had really cool products that could be used in multiple ways.I was unhappy when they went out of
business several years ago.I am
glad that little of the Loosie Fibers go a long way in dressing up a card!I used a length of double-sided
adhesive tape and added the Loosie Fibers, then placed the crinkle paper ribbon
over the adhesive to secure them in place.

Time to grab a few of your older images and have a little
fun with the sketch.Feel free to
rotate the sketch to fit your theme or stamps.Come and post your card with us at Retro Rubber Challenge Blog.

Monday, March 30, 2015

A few months back I was fortunate to be a random winner over
at Great Impressions Stamps.Planning
ahead I decided to select a few fun Easter images as I unbelievably had very
few in my collection.Here is the
sweet scene I created based on scenes inside hollow eggs.

I started by tracing the outside edge of a Spellbinders
Petite Ovals Small that fit the scene size on white card stock.The bunny was stamped in Tsukineko
Memento Tuxedo Black in the scene and on a post-it note.The post-it note was fussy cut just
inside the black line to create a mask for the bunny.The eggs were stamped in Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black in
the scene over the mask on the bunny.A post-it note was also stamped and fussy cut to create a mask for the
eggs.With both masks in place the
sky was sponged in using Colorbox Smoke Blue and the grass using Tsukineko
Versa Magic Key Lime and Aloe Vera.The egg images and the pink on the bunny were colored with Prismacolor
pencils and blended slightly.The
bunny has a slight Cool Gray (CG8) Chameleon pen coloring around the edges to
give him a bit of depth.The scene
was die cut using Spellbinders Petite Ovals Small.

The frame of yellow cardstock was die cut using Spellbinders
Floral Ovals.The background pink
oval and green card base were die cut using Spellbinders Grand Ovals.It is easy to use the Spellbinders
system because all of the ovals are graduated and match nicely.

A very old sentiment set by Rubber Stampede that was
unmounted from the foam mounts is used for the “Happy Easter” sentiment.It is stamped in Tsukineko Versa Magic Cloud
White and embossed with white embossing powder.The layers are adhered with the frame adhered with
dimensional foam adhesive.The
finishing touch is a simple hand-tied bow of sheer ribbon applied at the
bunny’s neck.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

We have another Fifth Sunday challenge going on over at
Anything But a Card.That means
you can create anything (but a card of course!) that includes five!You can also create 5 some things! My contribution is an Artist Trading Card that features five
miniature felt-flowers for a birthday ATC swap.

I started with Impression Obsession’s Spiral Flowers and die
cut white wool felt.This can be
found on a bolt in the fabric section of your local craft store.After die cutting and carefully
removing the excess with tweezers I sprayed the flowers with a variety of
mists.Tsukineko’s Fireworks
Tangelo and Dandelion, and Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Sun Sisters (plus a
little Tangelo on one), Rum Punch, and Marmalade gave me a splendid color array
to build my little garden.I set
these aside to dry.One thing to
remember when using glimmer sprays is with white felt the color will become
very intense.Low temperature hot
glue seemed to be the best choice to hold the little flowers together.They should also survive the mailing
process quite nicely!

The greenery in the background is by Technique Tuesday from
the “In Bloom” mini collection.It
is stamped in Tsukineko Versa Magic Key Lime and Memento Luxe Pear Tart.The butterflies (from the same
collection) are stamped in Tsukineko Versa Magic Aloe Vera.The “Happy Birthday” sentiment is from
Boxer Scrapbooking (now defunct) and is stamped in Tsukineko Versa Magic Mango.

After I assembled the ATC, I realized the stems and leaves
really needed to be felt as well . . . so a search through my die stash
revealed Heartfelt Creations Decorative Chateau Gate and Cut Mat Create 1B sets
both had small greenery sprigs with stems and leaves.These were spritzed with Tsukineko Fireworks Pear Tart.These were attached with Art Glitter
Adhesive.The felt leaves and
stems set of the beautiful little flowers nicely!

Go have some crafting fun this week and play along with our
Fifth Sunday challenge at Anything But a Card!

I would like to enter the following Challenges with this little creation:

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

It is time to play with your embossing powders!Get out your ink, stamp your Retro
Rubber, sprinkle on the embossing powder and heat it up!Show us what you create over at RetroRubber Challenge Blog by March 27th.

I enjoy using embossing powder; I like the glossy finish and the
waterproof aspect when I am water coloring.Many of my samples have used embossing powder.One technique I like to use is to emboss
with white embossing powder on vellum and color from the reverse side.

Here I used a Judikens' image that looks like hand-marbled
paper.The image was stamped with
Tsukineko Versa Magic Cloud White.On the reverse side I colored with Chameleon PK3 Bubblegum and VO4 Deep
Violet.Initially some areas were
too dark, but the magic eraser (toner) pen lifted some of the color to achieve
the look I wanted.I tested the
finished background over several colors of card stock to see what I liked best,
as each one changed the hue just a bit.I choose a light pink card stock and mounted the image and trimmed it to
4" x 5 1/4".The next
layer of deep violet card stock is 4 1/8" x 5 3/8". The card base of
pink card stock is A2 size, 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" folded in half.

To mount the sentiment I dug out my old Basic Grey Notch & Die
Cutting tool.Neat clean notches
that match the curve of the die cut were easy to cut!A length of ribbon is threaded through the notches and
mounted to the front and back of the panel.Using my Zutter Bows-It-All V2 I tied a double tailed
multi-looped bow to finish the card.The top panel is adhered with dimensional foam adhesive.

I have recently found a charity that is dear to my heart.Operation Write Home does not need huge
quantities of identical cards due to the draw down of oversees troops.They do request HIGH quality hand-made
cards in several categories.This
card will be donated to OWH in the future.Please read their website guidelines carefully before
creating for OWH.

Meanwhile let’s get started on creating a project for the challenge
over at Retro Rubber Challenge Blog!Remember to use a stamp that is least a year old and try out those
embossing powders.

Monday, March 23, 2015

I enjoy the time of Lent that leads up to Easter.It is a time of reflection and
reverence of the true meaning of Easter!

This card using Unity Stamp Company’s Everything Easter
celebrates Christ’s resurrection from the grave.I stamped the oval image in Tsukineko Versa Magic Hint of
Pesto and the sentiment in Tsukineko Versa Magic Pink Grapefruit and heat
embossed with clear embossing powder.Tsukineko Versa Magic Aloe Vera and Persimmon are gently sponged in the
highlight the sentiment.Tsukineko
Memento Dual Marker in Tangelo was used to carefully ink the color between the
embossed Hint of Pesto lines.The
image was fussy cut afterwards.I
have found it is easier to ink the image before cutting it out.

To get the Happy Easter border I masked the remainder of the
image then inked just the Happy Easter part of the image.It is stamped in Tsukineko Versa Magic
Hint of Pesto on white card stock trimmed to 4” x 5 ¼”.The edges are inked in Tsukineko Versa
Magic Hint of Pesto.The remainder
of the panel is sponged with Tsukineko Versa Magic Aloe Vera.

Tsukineko Versa Magic Pink Grapefruit is sponged in an oval
shape on a section of white card stock.Spellbinder’s Floral Ovals was then die cut and pressure embossed.The layers of the card are adhered
together with the sentiment panel being adhered with dimensional foam
adhesive.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

I am in the spotlight over at Anything But a Card this week
for our Design Team.It has been a
pleasure to be involved with ABAC, and blast seeing what everyone creates to enter
into the challenges for each month.The full blog post is also here as a separate page, A little bit about
me.

My challenge for this week is to make a mini-album or mini
book of any style.My sample
made for the challenge commemorates the year 2014 in photos and is done with
a Meander Album.

Actual size is 3" x 3".

It didn’t take long to scan through the year of photos and
plop my favorites into Photoshop.Then I pared them down and selected the photos that I wanted at 2.5” x
2.5” for the main pages of the mini album, and those that I wanted as 2” x 2”
to go on the tags.In my format I
selected 26 photos. I selected twelve photos for the main pages, and 14 photos
for the tags, with one for each side.These were put together on two Photoshop files and printed on 8” x 12”
prints at Costco.

Front cover and tag.

Pages 2 & 3

Par for the course one of my hurdles is deciding what paper
to use for a project; in this case I went with a collection from SEI,
Penelope’s Potpourri.The reverse
of Tiny Tulips was a nice muted green, and Delightful Dots was a great
complement to the color scheme.

Pages 4 & 5

Pages 6 & 7

The Meander Album at Split Coast Stampers in this tutorial
gives excellent directions to create an album from a single sheet of 12” x 12”
paper.The accents were cut from
the scraps.The tags were all cut
from a second sheet of 12” x 12” paper.I used my Coluzzle Tags template to cut the tags to 2 ½” x 3” including
the notched section.This fits
perfectly into the pockets with just the notch protruding.I did not cut notches in the pockets,
or add covers.I have the original
Bind-It-All, so I could only punch about half of the pages at one time.Careful finagling of sections of the album cut through all the
pages.I adhered the edges of
the pockets, and then applied the binding.

I love this little album and plan to carry it in my purse to
remind me of all the wonderful events that happened for our family in
2014.My Dear Husband likes all of
the photos, but wants them in digital format to share with his friends.Memory keeping at it’s best!Have fun creating your mini book and
album and make sure to jump over to Anything But a Card and post your
submission for the challenge.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

It is time to make a few cards for the Easter Season.Thinking simplicity I went just a few
key elements in the design of this clean and simple card.

The sentiment is from Everything Easter
by Unity Stamp Company and is stamped on vellum in Tsukineko Radiant Neon
Electric Blue and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.Vellum requires this when using pigment
ink, didn’t want it to smudge!The
strip was punched with EK Success Dotted Curve border punch. My version of Marine Mist is edged
with Tsukineko Radiant Neon Electric Blue.The cross is die cut from Coordination’s Yellow with
Spellbinders Crosses Two and edged with Tsukineko Radiant Neon Electric Blue.It is adhered with dimensional foam
adhesive.The card base is a light
Sahara sand color with a layer of handmade white shimmer paper that was torn
using a deckle ruler to keep a nice square shape.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

It is time again for another Retro Rubber Blog Challenge. This time we challenge you to play with your collection of embossing powders. You can use any color and any technique, just make sure that it involves ink and heated embossing powder!

Our rules are simple:

Create a new project, card, scrap book lay out, whatever.

Use embossing powder

Use a stamp from your stash that you have owned (preferably)
for at least a year.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

I am part of a Birthday ATC swap on a forum,
RubberStampChat.Each month we
send an Artist Trading Card to the members of the swap with birthdays in that
month.What fun!

This month I had some fun with the Superior Palette Stamp
& Stick Glue Pad.I stamped
the background with a Stamp Out Cute image on light pink card stock, and then
added Martha Stewart Peridot glitter.The glitter is heat set with an embossing heat
gun. The glitter is a little more green in real life!

A few Prima flowers and a little bling for the center create
a pretty embellishment.The tag is
Sizzlets Tag Set, Small that is stamped with Colorbox Cat Eye Charcoal using
the Imaginesce All Kinds of Happy Collection on light green card stock.A pink eyelet and a few coordinating fibers finish the ATC.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

My most frequent format for scrapbook layouts is a double
page layout with multiple photos.So
a single page layout is not the norm, but was definitely fun!I decided to play along with Stuck on U Sketches and completed this sketch.

I used the large DCWV Pet Stack for all of the patterned
cardstock in this layout.About a
year ago I found a package of KI Memories bones 12” x 12” die cut overlays that
is layered over the base cardstock.The circle is cut with Cutter Bee Curvy Cutter, I love that I can cut a
12” diameter circle, but this one is 10” cut from DCWV blue card stock.A few other scraps from the Pet
stack add the additional layers.

I discovered I actually had three photos that I wanted to
include and a bit of journaling so I decided to add a Foto Flap by Outdoors and
More.I will cut a slit in the
page protector to allow the interactive flap to move.

The final touches are a few paw die cuts and bone paper
clips from my stash.The layout is
a little busier than my usual style but I do like how it turned out!

One of the crop events at Creating Keepsakes Convention in 2007 was creating a "My Favorites Album". At CKC we created a 6" x 6", and I had a blast with all of the fun techniques I learned in the crop. I hosted a "Favorites Album" swap at the now defunct Memory Makes forum. It was similar to a ATC swap, with the exception that each contributor completed a 8" x 8" layout minus the photos for a particular theme within the main theme.

This was my contribution:

Created in 2007

Created in 2007

I used my Klic-n-Kut to cut movie clapboards in two sizes. The film strip is a Sizzix die cut, and the popcorn cups and popcorn I die cut from Sizzix dies at a LSS. The ticket is also cut on the Klic-n-Kut. The flim reels are fussy cut from a background paper, and everything is mounted on grey card stock.

Thank you for checking in to my blast from the past layout. Funny thing is my favorite movies have evolved over the years, so this is a layout that chronicles my past favorites.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

It is now week two of our challenge over at Anything But a Card. Our theme this month is Green with Envy, or to just use Green in your project. I created this fun little gift box that anyone would be envious to receive. Come join the fun and create your own project!

Keeping in
mind that I wanted to use a die to create a Celtic style motif on two sides of
the box I choose to make a box size that would fit in my Grand Calibur.First the green card stock is trimmed
to 8" x 8", and the box is scored and punched with the WeR Memory Keepers
Gift Box Punch Board. I love this tool and have practiced making all the
different possible boxes.They are
great reference for deciding what size box to make for a gift.I used these reference patterns to decided
on the size and which die to use.The
Spellbinders Medallion Eight is centered in the side area and die cut for each
side.Gold card stock trimmed to 2
1/4" x 2 1/4" is adhered to the inside of the box to back the die cut
area.To finish off the design a
light green card stock was stamped with Memories Hunter Green ink and Judikens Excerpt
From the Book of Kell image. The medium sized Spellbinders Bitty Blossoms was die cut and the flower was
shaped and adhered with glue dots.

Stamping on velvet is very easy with a steady hand and a hot
iron.The most important step is
to find Acetate/Rayon velvet; the salvage edge of the velvet will be
shiny.Trim the velvet to 2
1/2" x 2 1/2" and center it over the image, wrong side up and the nap
facing the image.It is best to
use a rubber stamp image with bold lines.Judikens Celtic Cube #2 is used here.Use the flat section of the iron without steam holes to
"stamp".The iron should
be set on the highest setting.Press for about 15 seconds and check the process by carefully lifting
the iron without shifting the velvet.If there is a clear impression on the reverse side of the velvet, the
image is "stamped".If
not, apply iron again for 5 to 10 more seconds.Each image is adhered to 2" x 2" card stock with
the excess velvet wrapped around the back and adhered.Gold card stock is cut to 2 1/2" x
2 1/2" and adhered to remaining sides.The velvet squares are adhered use thin dimensional foam
adhesive to account for the velvet wrap on the edges.

Assemble the box and adhere flaps so the box will retain its
shape.I used my Zutter Bows-It-All v. 2 to tie a
multi-looped bow of gold ribbon and adhere to the top.When I create cards, gifts, or gift
boxes, I consider the creation to be part of the gift.

Better lighting shows the embossed velvet!

Please come join us at Anything But a Card and enter your own project that reflect the theme Green with Envy. Just remember it can be mixed media project, art journal, tag, ATC, layout, home decor, ANYTHING but a CARD!

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Splitcoast Stampers featured tutorial this week is One Layer Paper Tole.
Paper Tole has existed for a very long time; my first
experience was with using pre-printed cards and fussy cutting layers.The next step was to repeatedly stamp
an image and fussy cut various layers to create dimension.

Created in 2000

This card was created with a Magenta stamp, one of my
favorite companies in the early 2000s.The center image was stamped three times, heat embossed and water
colored with Jacquard Pearl Ex pigments.It is hard to see the shimmer in a photo.The various layers are fussy cut.The background is stamped with the same image.Various colors of handmade paper and card stock back
the central image.At the time the
only dimensional adhesive we had was home repair chalking!The various layers are raised with the
chalking allowed to cure.It was a
little stinky!

Created 2000

This second card uses smaller Magenta images and embossing
powder layers technique on the backing layers.The center image is stamped once, colored with colored
pencils and a Dove blender, then fussy cut before adhering with the chalking.

Thanks for stopping by my Throw Back Thursday post.It is fun to share my creative work
that still resides in my “idea archive” drawer.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Time for a new challenge over at Retro Rubber ChallengeBlog, create a tag or use one on a project.Our rules are easy to follow, just use a stamp that you have
owned for at least a year, follow the prompt, and link directly to the post highlighting
the project.Come join the fun!

For a time tags were all the rage, and Making Memories even
came out with a Tag Maker system.There were plenty of pre-made tags to choose from as well.The traditional office tags in many
sizes, tags cut using a Coluzzle, small tags die cut dies, and Making Memories
tags like this one.I experimented
with a few tags before I settled on this Making Memories tag because the
sentiment fit perfectly in the size.

The card base is pink card stock trimmed to 9” x 6 ½” folded
in half.The bottom layer of green
card stock was trimmed to 4 ¼” x 6 1/4” and the bottom edge is punched with a
Fiskars edger punch that was one of the first ones I owned.Love this little scalloped edge.The next layer of Kraft cardstock was
pressure embossed with Darice Butterflies embossing folder and trimmed to 4” x
5 ½”.These layers were adhered
with 1/16” dimensional foam adhesive.

I have many butterfly images I purchased in about 1997 along
with the sentiment.Butterflies
are a favorite of my Grandma, my Mom and myself!This image is by Distinctive Impressions.It is stamped in Tsukineko Versa Magic
Aloe Vera on light pink card stock and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.The butterfly is watercolored with
Jacquard Pearl Ex pigments mixed with Gum Arabic.The Gum Arabic is a fixative to allow the pigment to be used
as a watercolor.Other brands have
the fixative already added.I used
Duo Green Yellow on the body of the butterfly and Flamingo Pink and
Interference Violet on the wings.It is hard to photograph how the wings shimmer and change colors as you
shift the card.The image is
fussy cut removing the antennae.A
little piece of craft wire is fashioned to make new antennae that are a little sturdier
that paper.

The Where the Rubber Hits the Road sentiment is stamped in Tsukineko
Versa Magic Aloe Vera on the Making Memories tag and heat embossed with clear
embossing powder.I added three
complementary colors and textures of fibers to finish the tag.The butterfly image and tag are adhered
with dimensional foam adhesive.

Monday, March 2, 2015

I am so thankful to have known my dear friend these so many
years.At her memorial service
last week it was such a blessing to learn more about her and remember the great
times we have shared over the years.I am blessed to be friends with her dear husband and her wonderful adult
children.Her battle with cancer
was painful and full of challenges and blessings.She is now walking the streets of gold in heaven and
praising Jesus.

This is the last of the five cards that I made for her
family.This is one I created for
her middle child, her oldest daughter.The challenge over at Your Next Stamp was the inspiration for both the
sketch and color choice.

A “pearl grey” card stock is the base of the card with a
strip of “navel”card stock for the sentiment strip.The sentiment is by Great Impressions and is stamped in
Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black.The strip is backed with “black tie” that is punched with an EK Success
mini scallop edger punch.A
variety of Quickutz heart dies were used to die cut "blue", "pumpkin", and "navel"
card stock.The textures are also
by Quickutz: heart, curl, and flourish.Some of the die cuts are adhered directly to the card base and others to
the sentiment strip.The sentiment
strip is adhered with dimensional foam adhesive.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

I have now been home a week from my dear friend’s Memorial
Service.There are still many
posts on her facebook page and the pages of her immediate family that tell the
story of what an amazing wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend that
she was.We all miss her, but know
that the suffering and pain are gone and that she is in the presence of our
Almighty Father.This card is for
her husband is and four of the five cards I created for her family.

A great way to jump start a card is to use a sketch and
color scheme from a challenge, and both were found at Unity Stamp Company.I recently purchased the February 2015
Sentiment set, Beautiful Life, Blessed Memories and was able to use most of the
set for cards for my friend’s family.

The base of the card is yellow card stock with Kraft card
stock layered over the top that was pressure embossed with Cuttlebug’s Bit of
Paisley.I had not remembered that
yellow was her favorite color, and was so pleased to be reminded and know that
the card for her beloved husband had yellow as featured color.

Representing

Joining the fun as

Double Page DT

About Me

Hectic as my life is . . . I have a desire to decompress by creating in my craft cave! Currently we have 34 residents on our mini-farm, which includes four humans. Our two active athletic boys keep us running to their various activities. I work for our business doing accounting and HR paperwork, as a substitute teacher in local High Schools, and now as a Community College Chemistry Instructor. Despite the busyness of life, my scrapping, altered art, and card making all provide a respite of creative energy and renewal.